James Woods, 18, of Alexandria, Va., and senior at Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) of Alexandria Va. was selected by The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. to study music education, in the fall of 2017. Not only is he finishing up his high school studies at MSA, Woods worked as the music director for Aldersgate Community Children’s Theater (ACCT) with Elf Jr. and is also employed by the Educational Theatre Company of Arlington, Va. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org for more information on the school.

"If I never attended MSA, I would have never discovered that I could pursue music and piano as a career, I would have stuck with performing; but, because the faculty has given me so many opportunities to assist with music directing, I’ve been able to discover that music is a career path I can take and another way I can express myself,” said James Woods, Metropolitan School of the Arts senior student.

Woods is employed by the Educational Theater Company in Arlington, VA, which is geared toward visiting elementary school groups to help guide them to write and produce their own performances. He is currently working with a group to produce The Magic Arrow; An Hawaiian Tale. He’s also an accompanist for a class at The Little Theater of Alexandria.

“We’re thrilled to see James achieve these milestones at such a young age,” said Melissa Dobbs, founder and executive director of Metropolitan School of the Arts of Alexandria, Va. “His professionalism combined with talent and hard work has made way for so many wonderful opportunities,” said Dobbs.

ABOUT METROPOLITAN SCHOOL OF THE ARTS (MSA)Alexandria, Va.-based, Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA), a 501 (c) 3 organization, is the first Washington, D.C. area, private, secondary performing arts school, founded in 2013 by Melissa Dobbs. The MSA performing arts studios in Alexandria, Va. have taught dance, music and theater to more than 10,000 students since 2001. Noted for its world-class instructors, MSA offers high quality performing arts training in a ground breaking, holistic learning environment that cultivates creativity, builds community and empowers students. The organization was featured in Dance Teacher magazine, FOX 5 Morning News, WUSA9 Great Day Washington, ABC-7 Good Morning Washington, Northern Virginia Magazine, Washington Business Journal , Washington Post Weekend and Washington Families magazine. Many students from MSA studios go on to perform in prestigious arenas including Broadway, National Tours, The Julliard School, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Washington Ballet, The American Academy of Ballet, Universal Ballet Academy, The Kirov Ballet, The Hartt School, Marymount University (New York), Ford’s Theater and Mark Morris Dance Company. MSA offers a performing arts academy, a performing arts studio, a youth tap ensemble, a youth ballet, a jazz company, community theatre program, as well as MetroClub and MetroRide, as part of their arts-focused, after-school program. Call 703.339.0444 or visit www.metropolitanarts.org, Facebook or Twitter.